Get it wrong and there’s a whole world of pain coming your way. The difference between the two is in the preparation. As the wise old man says, “Proper planning prevents poor performance.”

Set Your Goal

1. Choose your event

2. What you want to achieve

3. Write it down

Know your SWOT and work to it

Once you’ve sorted your goal, make a list under four different headings:

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

Other advice in the article include:

Get your long rides in

Develop your technique

Develop your lactate threshold and muscle power

Rest and recover!

Using BikeRadar’s Training Plans

Training plans for Weeks 01 to 04

If you use an HRM, our zones are based on your maximum heart rate (max HR). Subtracting your age from 220 will give you a theoretical max HR, but it can be inaccurate – sometimes wildly out.

Zone 1: 60-80 percent max HR (60-75 percent if you are getting back to fitness or lack stamina). This is light to moderate effort; conversation is easy and you can breathe through your nose only.

Zone 2: 80-89 percent max HR (75-85 percent if you are getting back to fitness or lack stamina). Moderate to hard effort, though it is controlled and you are not about to blow up. This is above average sportive pace: the lower end is most likely your climbing pace while you can only survive at the top end for 60-90mins.

Zone 3: Around 90 percent max HR and above (85 percent and above when lacking fitness). Very hard; breathing is laboured and lactate makes your muscles burn. Stay out of this zone in long events; use it only for short intervals or races in the build-up to a sportive.

Don’t forget BikeRadar Live is the biggest ever mass-participation cycling event to hit the UK, and will take place on the weekend of 30–31 May 2009 at Donington Park in Leicestershire.